Designing, building and managing an energy efficient building can be a complex and daunting task. Energy simulation can help you analyze the movement of energy in, out, and through the rooms and volumes in a building model. This information can help designers make better informed decisions that cost-effectively improve the performance and reduce the environmental impact of buildings.
Autodesk’s analysis tools are built into its Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools: Vasari and Revit.
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Autodesk Vasari is an easy-to-use and expressive design tool that helps you create building concepts. With integrated analysis for energy and carbon, you gain design insight where the most important design decisions are made.
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Autodesk Revit is the tool to use when it’s time to move to production. You can transfer your Project Vasari design data into Revit, ensuring clear execution of design intent. Revit is specifically built for Building Information Modeling (BIM), helping building professionals design, build, and maintain higher-quality, more energy-efficient buildings.
Autodesk BIM tools support both whole building energy analysis and more targeted design studies (like daylighting and solar radiation analysis) to help optimize performance.
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Whole Building Energy Analysis
Autodesk Green Building Studio uses the DOE2 simulation engine and is web-based software that enables architects and designers to perform whole-building analysis, optimize energy consumption, and work toward carbon-neutral building designs earlier in the process. Green Building Studio powers the energy analysis tools in Revit and Vasari, and is available to Autodesk Subscription customers.
The most effective decisions for sustainable design can be made in the early design phases. Autodesk whole building energy simulation tools are built to help you to create energy models in the early design stage to make informed design decisions.
The following chart shows how these tools are integrated:
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Design Studies
The following types of design studies can be done in conjunction with whole building energy analysis to help analyze and optimize more targeted aspects of the design. In some cases they pull from the same back-end data (i.e. climate data) that is used for Autodesk’s GBS-based whole building energy analysis. You can learn more about them in the Help for the appropriate products.
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Climate Analysis
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Sun and Shadow Studies
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In Revit
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In Vasari
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Solar Radiation
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In Revit
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In Vasari
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In Revit
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Conceptual CFD Analysis
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In Revit
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For free online courses that cover Autodesk’s building performance analysis workflows, see: sustainabilityworkshop.autodesk.com/courses. You can get continuing education units for completing these courses.